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Boycott Israel

It’s time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. In July 2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian groups laid out plans to do just that. They called on “people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era”. The campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions was born.

An impassioned plea from author Naomi Klein to subject Israel to the same kind of boycott that ended apartheid in South Africa.

You obviously can’t make a retroactive boycott you can at least stop buying stuff directly from them now. Obviously, it’s much harder to do boycott things that Israel produces that indirectly end up in electronics etc.

By the way, I’ve gladly thrown away my PC (I’m on Mac now but yes, it does have Intel inside I know), my mobile wasn’t invented by an Israeli (as far as Sony Ericsson tell me) and I don’t think boycotting a few Israeli products would mean we all turn into cavemen. That would be quite something.

You obviously can’t make a retroactive boycott you can at least stop buying stuff directly from them now. Obviously, it’s much harder to do boycott things that Israel produces that indirectly end up in electronics etc.

By the way, I’ve gladly thrown away my PC (I’m on Mac now but yes, it does have Intel inside I know), my mobile wasn’t invented by an Israeli (as far as Sony Ericsson tell me) and I don’t think boycotting a few Israeli products would mean we all turn into cavemen. That would be quite something.

here we go! I can’t it’s hard. you can’t expect. Jive me a break. if you call for a boycott go for it full out. as for your cell phone . the whole concept the whole deal was invented in Israel… Soooooooooooo you are either going to have to back off ands accept Israel and admit defeat or you are going to have to go back to rubbing stick together to make fire
and in your mac it’s not just intel it’s major parts of the os and other add ons . so you are never going to get away from it

here we go! I can’t it’s hard. you can’t expect. Jive me a break. if you call for a boycott go for it full out. as for your cell phone . the whole concept the whole deal was invented in Israel… Soooooooooooo you are either going to have to back off ands accept Israel and admit defeat or you are going to have to go back to rubbing stick together to make fire
and in your mac it’s not just intel it’s major parts of the os and other add ons . so you are never going to get away from it

whom Ed? the ones wanting a boycott?
if that is your question. No I’d continue to invest in Israel like I’m doing now.
I live there. work there. and fight there.
it’s my home. and if anyone is stupid enough to boycott it then so be it, but let them do it to the fullest extent and not just in namesake with a well it’s too late i bought it before the boycott went into effect.

whom Ed? the ones wanting a boycott?
if that is your question. No I’d continue to invest in Israel like I’m doing now.
I live there. work there. and fight there.
it’s my home. and if anyone is stupid enough to boycott it then so be it, but let them do it to the fullest extent and not just in namesake with a well it’s too late i bought it before the boycott went into effect.

I would say that the quality of life in Gaza and the West Bank and occupied territories is significantly poorer than in Isreal. I do see that as a problem that needs to be sorted. Are you a soldier in the IDF?

I would say that the quality of life in Gaza and the West Bank and occupied territories is significantly poorer than in Isreal. I do see that as a problem that needs to be sorted. Are you a soldier in the IDF?

Life is what you make of it Ed. we all know that.
but when you see food stuffs brought in to releive the pain and Hamas staels it all .. when the world gives money to them as a people and their leaders live the life while they live the death? who is to blame?
yesterday Mubarak came out and slammed the collective arab leadership by saying the same thing.
Hell arafats secreat bank accounts filled with more money then you or I could ever spend in 20 life times was held back by his so called widow shufa so she could continue to live the life and her people live the death.
during the actions of the past 3 weeks,. the leaders of Hamas stayed fat and safe for the most part while others as seen on the news surrounded themselves with human sheilds. hell they even stated on the news that they invented the HS and were the best at doing it saying they enjoy being made martyres! (Ok you enjoy it so much why hide in your lux bunker while your people have nothing?)
they steal from the people. they steal from us. (yes my tax money pays the saleries of the PA as well) so instead of taking the money the EU gives them to improve life they buy weapons to end life.
real forward thinking …
as for the true quality of life, you should have seen these areas pre 67 they made Africa look like a 5 star.

as for my part in the IDF I ended my reserves but continue my support and vollenteer yearly etc.

Life is what you make of it Ed. we all know that.
but when you see food stuffs brought in to releive the pain and Hamas staels it all .. when the world gives money to them as a people and their leaders live the life while they live the death? who is to blame?
yesterday Mubarak came out and slammed the collective arab leadership by saying the same thing.
Hell arafats secreat bank accounts filled with more money then you or I could ever spend in 20 life times was held back by his so called widow shufa so she could continue to live the life and her people live the death.
during the actions of the past 3 weeks,. the leaders of Hamas stayed fat and safe for the most part while others as seen on the news surrounded themselves with human sheilds. hell they even stated on the news that they invented the HS and were the best at doing it saying they enjoy being made martyres! (Ok you enjoy it so much why hide in your lux bunker while your people have nothing?)
they steal from the people. they steal from us. (yes my tax money pays the saleries of the PA as well) so instead of taking the money the EU gives them to improve life they buy weapons to end life.
real forward thinking …
as for the true quality of life, you should have seen these areas pre 67 they made Africa look like a 5 star.

as for my part in the IDF I ended my reserves but continue my support and vollenteer yearly etc.

Strange..I was born in Birmingham in the UK. Just interested from a cultural point of view and am trying to understand the conflict but I guess it shows how difficult it is to engage in such a sensitive area.

Strange..I was born in Birmingham in the UK. Just interested from a cultural point of view and am trying to understand the conflict but I guess it shows how difficult it is to engage in such a sensitive area.

That is true but I know Palestinians who I have discussed the issues at length and they would tell a different story…of course. You are lucky to have lived in many different countries and had a multi national education.

That is true but I know Palestinians who I have discussed the issues at length and they would tell a different story…of course. You are lucky to have lived in many different countries and had a multi national education.

You might not beleive this but in the states there are a lot of pals that when we talk together we have an understanding of each other and yes we often agree to disagree but in general we both sides agree that HAMAS to be voted in was the most retarded thing that a people could do in this world. most of them call it the great shot to the foot

You might not beleive this but in the states there are a lot of pals that when we talk together we have an understanding of each other and yes we often agree to disagree but in general we both sides agree that HAMAS to be voted in was the most retarded thing that a people could do in this world. most of them call it the great shot to the foot

Hey everyone thought I’d contribute slightly to the chat; and mention a few other things that should be boycotted by anyone wishing to boycott Israel and their products. (Several may have already been mentioned)
1) The Intel chip – in ALL 20th century laptops! Invented and developed in Israel
2) Windows NT, XP and VISTA – developed in Israel
3) Firewalls / antivirus designed and invented in Israel to combat terrorism
4) Mobile phones / Cell phones – invented by Motorola Israel
5) Digital cameras (The chip invented in Israel)
6) Most Camera Lenses designed and manufactured in Israel
7) All forms of Instant messenger – Invented by four students in Israel
8) Google – Uses a search algorithm developed in Israel
9) Voice mail on phones
10) UV filter used to decontaminate water – Used in Turkey – Designed by Israelis in Israel;
11) Solar panels – many invented in Israel
12) Water saving pipes for hot countries – designed in Israel
13) The swallow able camera to reduce evasive search methods – designed in Israel
14) Mastermind game…

Hey everyone thought I’d contribute slightly to the chat; and mention a few other things that should be boycotted by anyone wishing to boycott Israel and their products. (Several may have already been mentioned)
1) The Intel chip – in ALL 20th century laptops! Invented and developed in Israel
2) Windows NT, XP and VISTA – developed in Israel
3) Firewalls / antivirus designed and invented in Israel to combat terrorism
4) Mobile phones / Cell phones – invented by Motorola Israel
5) Digital cameras (The chip invented in Israel)
6) Most Camera Lenses designed and manufactured in Israel
7) All forms of Instant messenger – Invented by four students in Israel
8) Google – Uses a search algorithm developed in Israel
9) Voice mail on phones
10) UV filter used to decontaminate water – Used in Turkey – Designed by Israelis in Israel;
11) Solar panels – many invented in Israel
12) Water saving pipes for hot countries – designed in Israel
13) The swallow able camera to reduce evasive search methods – designed in Israel
14) Mastermind game…

Good article. Interesting to read. I think what I found hard is imagining what it must be like to have your freedom of movement restricted on a daily basis…to the extent you are unable to see family etc. A Palestinian colleagued I studied with had this problem….he seemed so exhausted with the whole issue, almost to the point that he could see that whatever he did would make no difference to the long term status. To that end he now works for a humanitarian organisation…I guess doing his bit the best he can.

Good article. Interesting to read. I think what I found hard is imagining what it must be like to have your freedom of movement restricted on a daily basis…to the extent you are unable to see family etc. A Palestinian colleagued I studied with had this problem….he seemed so exhausted with the whole issue, almost to the point that he could see that whatever he did would make no difference to the long term status. To that end he now works for a humanitarian organisation…I guess doing his bit the best he can.

I especially love the pride you take in all the amazing spin off technologies that have evolved from your research labs while they’ve been busy developing ever more imaginitive means of bombing starving children.

You might have reduced palestine to a giant concentration camp but the whole thing hasn’t been without its plus points, eh?

Ed
let me ask you a quick question…
If the guy next door swore on every one of his holy books to kill you and yours. and has been doing so since lets say for arguments sake 1948 (though it started earlier)
and he will make the rivers and the sea red with your blood.
would you open the gates and let him wonder around freely?

it’s been a long time since we have had bus loads of our people splattered all over the freaking place. (knocking on a lot of wood) it’s been ages since the almost daily attacks in our cities .. (still knocking on wood) and it’s all because of fences ,walls, and security checks. it may not seem constituional to you but hell it isn’t america.. … this is the middle east, and HAMAS is a cult of death,

Ed
let me ask you a quick question…
If the guy next door swore on every one of his holy books to kill you and yours. and has been doing so since lets say for arguments sake 1948 (though it started earlier)
and he will make the rivers and the sea red with your blood.
would you open the gates and let him wonder around freely?

it’s been a long time since we have had bus loads of our people splattered all over the freaking place. (knocking on a lot of wood) it’s been ages since the almost daily attacks in our cities .. (still knocking on wood) and it’s all because of fences ,walls, and security checks. it may not seem constituional to you but hell it isn’t america.. … this is the middle east, and HAMAS is a cult of death,

My friend never has stated the words you state, as I say he works for a humanitarian organisation, do you belive in collective punishment…I do not agree with Hamas and their means. Your attitude means this debate has come to an end…but I think it says a great deal of how far there is to go. I would guess you believe in Zionism or is that an incorrect assumption. Do you think Isreal’s recent war in Gaza was proportionate?

My friend never has stated the words you state, as I say he works for a humanitarian organisation, do you belive in collective punishment…I do not agree with Hamas and their means. Your attitude means this debate has come to an end…but I think it says a great deal of how far there is to go. I would guess you believe in Zionism or is that an incorrect assumption. Do you think Isreal’s recent war in Gaza was proportionate?

you were talking of freedom of movement. that means opening the gates and allowing them to freely move about israel… they are the guy next door, they are the ones that have sworn on all they hold holy to kill us all, so why open the gates? I like life, maybe they should try liking it as well

you were talking of freedom of movement. that means opening the gates and allowing them to freely move about israel… they are the guy next door, they are the ones that have sworn on all they hold holy to kill us all, so why open the gates? I like life, maybe they should try liking it as well

I’ve been a bit busy recently but I’ve now had a chance to read through some of these interesting comments.

As regards a boycott, whether or not Israel invented Intel processors, Google logarithms or even sliced bread is irrelevant. If a trade boycott against them now resulted in some peaceful progress in the Middle East, then it would be worth it.

I understand Robert’s fears that reducing security around Israel would result in more suicide bombings. But surely you have to question why Palestinians, and not Israeli’s, are willing to kill themselves in aid of their cause. I expect your answer would be along the lines of “They’re simply all crazy and hate life” suggesting that they’re simply born insane which I think anyone would agree, is simply unfair. I’m not condoning suicide bombings or terrorism but surely we need to look at the roots of what drives people to such desperate measures.

Ultimately however, neither Israelis or Palestinians are fully to blame for the terrible violence of this conflict. If the US government had not provided such overwhelming financial and military support for Israel, it simply would not have the capacity to carry out the violence it has. The quite astonishing and disproportionate financial support the US has provided for Israel over the last 30 years is discussed here and says it all I think:

“Total U.S. aid to Israel is approximately one-third of the American foreign-aid budget, even though Israel comprises just .001 percent of the world’s population and already has one of the world’s higher per capita incomes.”

I’m not saying they are all crazy. but the ones that strap a bomb on are crazier then those idiots that trample each other for a $10.00 DVD at walmart..
you see they are fed a doctrine of Kill an infadel for Allah….. do this and you go to heaven….. Fanatics yes, we all have them. but these that do such acts are the worst..
i could go into how mental midgets were used, bruised minds honor and more, but it is mostly religous intimadation at work here,
funny the guys that get these folks to do this never ever do it themselves…

I’m not saying they are all crazy. but the ones that strap a bomb on are crazier then those idiots that trample each other for a $10.00 DVD at walmart..
you see they are fed a doctrine of Kill an infadel for Allah….. do this and you go to heaven….. Fanatics yes, we all have them. but these that do such acts are the worst..
i could go into how mental midgets were used, bruised minds honor and more, but it is mostly religous intimadation at work here,
funny the guys that get these folks to do this never ever do it themselves…

Got a better reason to Boycott Sony Ericsson. They put in their hiring ads “No Unemployed Will be Considered At All”. I don’t live anywhere near Georgia where they placed the ad. And I hear that after CNN asked them about it they removed the offending passage, claiming it was a “mistake” (in big bold letters).

Yep in this recession it is quite apparent that there are no STUPID people with jobs. I really think that anyone who believes that should really suffer the same fate themselves. And hopefully no one will hire them because they worked for such a fascist company. But they only way that’s gonna happen is if people stop buying their phones. The reviews on Amazon all say they suck anyway. SO GOOD!

Hmm, “No unemployed will be considered at all”. That’s an interesting one. So for example, while Steve Jobs was unemployed after he left Apple, Sony Ericsson wouldn’t have considered him for a job then.

It should be illegal for a company to discriminate against people just because they are unemployed. The reason most people apply for jobs is precisely because they are unemployed – duh!

Hamas does not steal the limited food that Israel allows into Gaza. Hams was voted in because of their charitable works. The problem is that Israel is not allowing enough food in. It is a known fact that the Israelis calculated the bare minimum for survival, and that is what they allow in. The policy has nothing to do with ‘security’ but is about collective punishment.

Hamas was democratically elected. You do believe in democracy, don’t you? Oh, yes, I forgot you Israelis have an ethnocracy and call that ‘democracy’. It is no good blaming Hamas for a blockade that Israel imposes. Why blame the victims?

Still harping on about Arafat, who is dead? Take a good hard look at Israeli corruption and how Israel owes the Palestinians millions in tax revenues, plus the illegal deduction from wages of Palestinian workers who worked in Israel.

You say that Hamas leaders stayed safe. Where and how? You state that civilians got killed as they were used as human shields. There is not a single documented case of this by human rights organizations- except for finding that Israeli soldiers have used Palestinians as human shields. Like the boy who was made to open parcels in case they were booby trapped.

As for luxury bunkers, the only people who have luxury bunkers are the Israelis. Palestinians don’t have this luxury at all, which is why 400 children were killed (mostly deliberately targeted), 100 women and hundreds of civilian men.

Speaking of taxes- the USA gives Israel billions of dollars every year. You don’t mention that. Much of US ‘aid’ to Israel is in the form of weapons. If Palestinians get weapons (I thought they had homemade rockets? Talk about David fighting Goliath’s F16s, Merkava tanks, Apache helicopters, drone killing planes… then so what? Do you expect them to have nothing with which to fight a brutal military occupation of their land?)

Oh, so the Palestinians ruined their own land??? Is that what you are saying? I thought that was a direct result of having more than half their country stolen from under their feet, hundreds of thousands made refugees and many thousands massacred.

Jews lived peacefully with Palestinian Muslims and Christians for centuries. The problem is not Islam, or even Hamas. The problem is Zionist colonialism. The Qur’an talks of Jews and Christians as ‘People of the Book’ who are to be protected. To say this conflict is about religion is a lie. The conflict is about land and resources and always was. European Jews had a secular vision of their own state, and Britain helped them achieve this, and now with American military backing. Israel is just America’s bulldog in the Middle East as it ravages countries there for their mineral resources.

Sara Roy has lived in Gaza and she’s an American Jew. No, she didn’t live there as one of the settlers, but to do research on the Gaza economy. Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor, has been on the Gaza aid convoys. A boat of aid was recently sent by Jews in Europe for Gaza. Jewish Voice for Peace, Israelis against House Demolitions, Neturei Karta, Zochrot, Maschom Watch- all these and many more are opening Israeli eyes and showing the world that being Jewish does not equal being a Zionist and racist.

There can be no peace without freedom and justice. The same happened in South Africa when black South Africans rebelled against their oppression. You don’t consider that perhaps the reason there is suicide bombing is because of Palestinians being turned into prisoners in their little ‘Bantustans’? That wall, by the way, annexes hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into Israel, so it can’t be about ‘security’. Every crime Israel commits is blamed on ‘security’. It is also telling that so much of Palestinian land is annexed into Israel in the process.

The number of Israelis killing in terrorism attacks is nothing compared to the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli state terrorist attacks. There has been more Palestinian blood shed since the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of their villages in 1948 by Jewish terrorist groups until this day than Jewish blood shed. But Israelis always play the victim even when the facts and statistics tell a different story.